sidewinder

CDs 3 and 4, including the Count Basie West Coast lineup tribute session. Always regret not going up to Benny and saying hello and thanks when I had the chance. He was feet away.

Yeah, it took forever to sell out in the CD version, although the LP sets cleared much quicker (I guess they were quite few). This is one set that I definitely need to dig out again.

Agree with every word of that. Was that an actual Mosaic Singles? - Discogs doesn’t show it as such, was reissued after that series ended I think.

Well said !

Presumably BillF would have been in the audience?

I’ve been giving the ‘Night is Scott..’ album a few spins on CD and it is really good. Also some nice Tracey and Ranglin on there too. As mentioned, it is a mix of tracks with strings and small group tracks and mainly ballads. The Redial CD version sounds really good. I also have it on Fontana LP in a mono version. Producer Terry Brown mentioned above was the grandfather, I think, of trumpeter Yazz Ahmed.

CD1

I think the (then new) Gerald Wilson and Jacquet/Phillips (just about to go out of print) on LP were the first ‘full’ ones I bought, also a partial Jackie McLean and Larry Young on CD that Scott kindly put together for me. That was about 20 years ago. Back in Mosaic’s infancy their sets were obscure rarities over here which I read about in magazines but never saw. In more recent years I have managed to fill the gaps, including those old LP sets. I used to get the Mosaic magazine mailed out and have kept them.

Seems like only yesterday that we all did the mad dash scramble over from the BNBB ! Congrats and thanks !

Reel to Real 2LP. Some good Land - and Carmell Jones - at Seattle Penthouse. Another Kevin Gray mastering. That artwork is worthy of 32 Jazz !

I caught one night of that particular Blakey double bill with McCorkle. Her band had Keith Ingham on piano I think. Yes, I remember that ‘membership’ thing. All to do with West End licensing laws back then I think. The other thing was that to buy (fairly extortionate) alcohol after midnight you had to also order food of some description. The popular option was some form of non-descript sandwich. On the other hand, I quite liked Ronnie’s spag bol offering. Back in 1981 the club was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy due to tax arrears and a severe recession. In the end the club was bailed out thanks to generosity of various friends such as Chris Blackwell of Island Records. It was a very different Soho then compared to now. Much cleaned up and obviously affluent now, although I feel that much of the likeable and unique edgy character of the area has now gone. A shame.

Mine came from Devon and cost a fiver ! Several decades ago though.

I did re-watch the documentary quite recently, having recorded it from BBC4 at last transmission. I think the depression thing was kept quiet within family/close friends. From my recollection, co-owner Pete King deserved much credit for getting Ronnie through those episodes.

😱

Never heard of him either ! Also noticed it on BBC Sounds.

Yes, this documentary has the full story of Ronnie’s depressions and death, as told by wives/partners and club legal rep, Wally Hauser.

He he - that Kevin Grey picture is funny.

‘Impulse Records - Music, Message and the Moment’. Interesting 2CD compilation.

They had 2 or 3 Tone Poets on sale, including the Harold Vick and Kenny Burrell. I think those are sold out too (already have them).

‘Red China Blues’ was overdubbed over a Wade Marcus orchestration I think. Eddie Preston would be the Mingus trumpet player mentioned.

UK MPS/BASF

Clarke/Boland Big Band - Dutch MPS

Another nice Tone Poet reissue.

Redial CD - Inspired by the Ronnie Scott thread.

It is a very sad story - my understanding is that he suffered from serious depression episodes during his life, certainly from the mid-60s, which resulted in various suicide attempts over the years. The final straw in the early 1990s was major dental issues requiring a full set of implant replacements, which was bodged (his regular dentist wasn’t an expert in this area and dental implants were in their infancy). By all accounts Ronnie lived for playing his sax and this stopped him playing, likely the final straw. He was found dead in his Mayfair flat - Open verdict but strong probability of another suicide attempt which in this case wasn’t saved. I recall the news of this and it made major headlines and stunned the UK jazz community. Like so many brilliant, natural comics Ronnie suffered from periods of severe depression.